Vanishing Point

The route I took through Texas from Texarkana (in the East) to Anthony (in the West) is close to as long a route across Texas as it's possible to take. According to Google maps, it's 834 miles. The southern East-West route from Orange to Anthony is a little longer at 876 miles, and the North-South route from Texline to Brownsville is as little longer still at 898 miles. In that many miles, you're going to notice some differences in landscape, vegetation, weather, and people. I've made the Texarkana to Anthony trip three times now because it's the quickest way to get to Las Cruces, New Mexico that goes through Texas. I keep thinking that the weather is going to be better in Texas than further north. It probably is, but better is relative. Texas can still pack a punch in winter. Thunderstorms, snow, ice, and of course, wind, are all possibilities. When I left Hope, Arkansas, for day 3 of driving, I didn't know what to expect. Would I be antsy to get out of the v

There is a lot about my big road trip last winter that I remember fondly, and I did learn quite a bit. But there was a lot I couldn’t do because my walking was so very limited. So, here I go again! The first thing I notice is that it’s easy to contrast my post-surgery foot this year with my freshly-injured foot at the same point in my previous trip. As I cover some of the same ground, I'm reminded that last year I had to carefully plan every step, and still I was in quite a bit of pain. This year my foot hurts and my body is still recovering from being so very sedentary, but I can easily walk a block to a restaurant and I can shop in any size store. That’s just about where I was at the end of my trip last year, so I hope to make much bigger improvements in the next few weeks.  Now for the drive! On day one of driving I went through a surprise snowstorm. How in this day and age, you might ask, does one get surprised by a snow storm? It has a lot to do with checking th